Mary Lou McDonald says Oasis fans 'thrown under a bus' by 'working class group' over ticket prices
Mary Lou McDonald said that dynamic pricing cannot be allowed and fans should be told in advance exactly how much tickets are supposed to cost
“Working class” Oasis fans feel as if the “working class group” has “thrown them under the bus”, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.
Controversy over the band's sold-out Croke Park gigs is continuing as some fans were forced to pay nearly €500 per ticket due to “dynamic pricing”.
Hundreds of thousands of fans entered a “virtual queue” on the Ticketmaster website on Saturday to buy tickets for Oasis’ reunion gigs in Croke Park next August, which had been advertised as starting from €86.50. The initial price for a pitch standing ticket at Croke Park for the two concert dates was around €175, while seated tickets were over €200.
READ MORE: Calls for Ticketmaster to come before Dail committee to explain “daylight robbery” of Oasis fans
READ MORE: Former Ticketmaster boss blames Oasis fans for sky-high ticket prices paid for Croke Park gigs
However, some fans were only left with an option to buy “in demand” tickets, which saw prices soar to over €400. Speaking at the launch of the Sinn Féin housing policy document, Ms McDonald said that dynamic pricing cannot be allowed and fans should be told in advance exactly how much tickets are supposed to cost.
She said: “I saw somebody put it directly to Oasis that they're a working class group. The working class got them where they are and they’re throwing them under the bus.
“The dynamic pricing, that is to me, it’s crazy that permission would be given for concerts without any notification as to the cost of tickets. I think it just needs to stop. By the way, we've raised this time and again. Louise O'Reilly has been very active on this question with Government.
“This has happened with Oasis, but it's happened with other concerts and other acts as well. “It's completely unfair. You enter into a lottery nearly in terms of getting your tickets rather than a straight transaction.
“Whether it's Oasis or Taylor Swift or the Wolftones or the man on the moon who's performing, the consumer should know what the price ranges are, that they're fixed prices and then everybody tries to get in first and get the tickets that they want.
“But this dynamic pricing has to end. It needs to be dealt with. We've called for it before. I'm very glad now, maybe they're all Oasis fans, that they've actually finally woken up to the fact that this is happening. I mean, €500 quid nearly for a ticket? Come on.”
The ticket prices have also come under fire from the Government. Tánaiste Micheál Martin said on Sunday that organisers of the Oasis gigs needed to “reflect” on the situation and that there was a role for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to investigate it.
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